Production of hybrid rice
Hybrid rice is a type of rice that has been bred from two very different parents. It can significantly outyield other rice varieties. IRRI is working with its partners to develop new and improved hybrid rice varieties. Because hybrid rice can outyield other varieties of rice, it is a key technology that meets the increasing global demand for rice. In the 1970s, China’s hybrid rice breeding program averted an impending famine. Today, hybrid rice closes yield gaps evident in many areas. It also raises yield potential. Bountiful harvests mean that farmers earn higher incomes and rice becomes available and affordable to more consumers.
